THE Government plans to help the one in five people who still does not use the internet with a €1.4m scheme.

"This is something we can address," said Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte. "It's not rocket science. Yes, the scale of the issue is large, with over half a million yet to get online, but addressing that need not be complicated."

The announcement came as Mr Rabbitte set himself a target to get an extra 280,000 online by the end of 2016.

That new target comes just days after the minister pulled back from another target: to ensure that every household would be able to get access to high-speed internet.

While the Government will provide training, Mr Rabbitte urged the 80pc of the population who use the internet to help as well.

"People should all ask ourselves how the internet could be helpful to someone they know, and how they might be able to encourage or help friends or neighbours to get online," he said.